How Many WNBA Teams Make the Playoffs?

The WNBA playoffs have undergone several changes for the 2025 season and beyond.

Some of the changes extend the postseason and may help give lower-seeded teams new life.

How many WNBA teams compete for a chance to win a championship? Let’s find out.

How Many WNBA Teams Make the Playoffs?

Eight WNBA teams make the playoffs.

What’s the New WNBA Playoff Format?

The new WNBA playoff format features several new changes.

The first round remains a best-of-three series, though the lower seed is now guaranteed to have one home game in the series, which will be Game 2.

The semifinals remain a best-of-five series, with the higher seed hosting Game 1, Game 2, and a potential Game 5.

The WNBA Finals are now a best-of-seven series, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, and potential Games 5 and 7.

Who Are the WNBA Playoff Contenders This Year?

The WNBA playoff contenders this year, or the teams with the shortest 2025 championship basketball odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook at the beginning of September, are the:

• Minnesota Lynx
• New York Liberty
• Las Vegas Aces
• Atlanta Dream
• Phoenix Mercury

The Lynx, led by 2025 WNBA MVP odds favourite Napheesa Collier, came a few possessions away from winning it all in the 2024 WNBA Finals, falling to the Liberty in five games.

Minnesota is known for its swarming defence and clean offensive execution, which helps them make a lot of 3-pointers.

At full strength, the Liberty are an absolute force to be reckoned with, especially with Breanna Stewart controlling the flow of the game on both sides of the floor and Sabrina Ionescu’s ability to set her teammates up for clean looks and get hot from 3-point range.

A’ja Wilson has led Las Vegas on a huge late-season surge, as they won 12 of their 13 games in August.

Wilson’s knack for scoring in the paint and protecting the rim gives opponents headaches nightly, and it could very well help the Aces win their third championship in four years.

The Dream lead the league in rebounding, which could give them a leg up against teams that prefer to play small.

Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are also capable of leading Atlanta offensively, given their abilities to score inside and out.

Phoenix boasts a top defensive unit, and the Mercury can be dangerous come postseason time with Alyssa Thomas controlling the offence and Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper handling the bulk of the scoring.